Suction cleaner



F. L. PIERCE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. 18, 1959 5m E5, w42.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Mam wg ATTORNEY Sept. 5, 1942. F. L.. PIERCESUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY PatenteSept. l5, 1942 UNITED STATES sUc'rxoN CLEANER Frank L. Pierce, GardenCity, N. Y., assigner to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and moreparticularly to a new and novel construction for resiliently mounting amotor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improvedsuction cleaner construction. A further object is to provide aconstruction for maintaining a constant clearance between the labyrinthplate and fan. Another object is to provide a construction forresiliently supporting a motor bearing and a fan labyrinth plate as aunit. A further object is to provide means for resiliently mounting themotor, labyrinth plate and fan. Other objects and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the specification and drawings, wherein;

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a suction cleaner illustrating oneembodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the means for resilientlymounting the top motor bearing, and

Figure 3 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of the means forresiliently mounting the bottom motor bearing.

The embodiment of the invention herein described comprises a suctioncleaner having a main casing lo provided with a nozzle Il communicatingthrough a suction passageway I2 with a fan chamber i3 dischargingthrough an exhaust passageway I4 into a dust-filtering bag l5 removablyattached to a ange I6 on the casing l0. Removably mounted on the casingl is a motor housing I3 of electric insulating material which encloses amotor I9 provided with a frame 20, eld stack 2l, field coil 22 and anarmature 23 having its shaft 24 supported at its opposite ends in topand bottom bearings 25 and 26 respectively. Rigidly attached to thearmature shaft 24 is a fan 21 and a pulley 28 which has driving connec-ltion with a belt 29 extending through the suction passageway l2 foroperating a surface contacting member 30 rotatably mounted in the nozzleH. The casing I0 is supported on front and rear wheels 3| and 32respectively and a handle 33 is pivoted on a bracket 34 for moving thecleaner over the surface to be cleaned.

The top bearing 25 includes an oil porous sleeve 35 rigidly supportedbetween the bearing housing plates 31 and 38 which form a chambercontaining oil-retaining material 39 to lubricate the porous sleevebearing 36. The plates 31 and 38 have :their peripheral edges securedtogether and are rigldlyattached to a bearing supporting member 40 whichis mounted on a projecting portion forms part of the motor bottom plateM. is a support the bearing 25 the member 4@ is provided with an annularcollar 42 on which are spaced projections 43 seated in similarly spacedrecesses 44 along the inner circumference of. a resilient ring 45. Thering 45 may be of rubber and is provided along its outer periphery withrecesses 46 to receive similarly spaced projections 41 formed on acollar 48 depending integrally from the motor housing i8. Attached tothe armature shaft 24, adjacent the sleeve bearing 36, is a ventilatingfan 49 disposed in a chamber El) formed by the top wall 5I and theprojecting wall 4l of the motor frame, the bearing supporting member 40and the lower bearing housing plate 81.

The bottom bearing 26 comprises an oil-porous sleeve rigidly supportedbetween a dislr t and a cup-shaped portion 51, the latter forming partof the motor bottom plate 58 which is removably attached to the motor`frame 20. Disposed be tween the 'disk 56 and the cup-shaped portion biis oil-retaining material 59 to lubricate the sleeve bearing 55. Thedisk 56 is held in position with respect to the sleeve bearing E5 bymeans of a. depending collar 6o which is rigidly attached to the bottomplate 58 by annularly spaced pins el, the lower edge of the collar t@bearing against the disk 5B. l In order to resiliently support the lowerbearing construction 26 a resilient rubber ring 65 of inverted hat-shapeconfiguration is interposed between the motor bottom plate 5t and adepending flange 1l defining an opening in a member t@ which isremovably mounted on the casing l@ and forms the top wall of the fanchamber I3. The rubber ring B5 is supported by means of spaced recesses14 in its outer periphery which receive the pins 6l and 15 projectingrespectively from the motor bottom plate b3 and the fan chamber wall G6.

Attached to the bearing housing plate b1, which labyrinth plate'lllhaving a depending peripheral flange 13 which is received inpredetermined spaced relation in an annular groove 19 in the wall oi'the ian 21. This labyrinth construction prevents entrance of foreignmaterial between the fan 21 and the labyrinth plate 11 and thus protectsthe bearing 26. A resilient rubber ring is mounted in a groove 8|provided in the fan chamber wall 6G and beers against the labyrinthplate 11 to prevent entrance of foreign material therebetween.

In operation, when the surface contacting member 30'is rotating themotor it will be sub- 4l of the motor frame 20. In order to resiliently55 jected to a belt pull tending to tilt the fan 21 towards the nozzleil. Under these conditions the clearance between the labyrinth plate 11and the fan 21 will remain substantially constant, since the labyrinthplate 11 is rigidly mounted on the bearing 26 and moves with the latterand the amature shaft 2t, such movement being permitted by the resilientrings 45 and 65. In maintaining a constant clearance between the fan 21and labyrinth plate 11 any foreign material therebetween is notcompressed and thus a drag on the motor i9 is prevented.

During operation of the motor the fan 21 vibrates, however the clearancebetween the labyrinth plate 11 and fan remains substantially constantsince the bearing 26 and the attached labyrinth plate 11 and the bearing25 are mounted in the resilient rings 45 and 65 so as to vibrate inunison with the fan 21,

When the motor is subjected to belt pull the resilient rings d5 and S5will be in compression and tension, and when the motor is subjected totorsional vibration the rubber rings 45 and 85 will be subjected to ashearing stress. The projections 43 and 41 extending into the recessesin the resilient ring 45, and the pins 6| and 15 extending into therecesses in the lower rubber ring 65 prevent rotation of the motor dueto torsional vibration.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that the upper and lowerresilient rings 45 and 65 are easily assembled by registeringprojections in corresponding recesses, and that the rings 45 and 65resiliently support the top and lower motor bearings, Since thelabyrinth plate 11 is rigidly attached to the lower bearing housing itwill move in unison with the fan 21 to thereby maintain substantiallyconstant clearance between the fan and labyrinth plate. Also, since thebearings 25 and 26 and labyrinth plate 11 are all rigidly attached tothe motor frame and the latter is at no point rigidly ailixed to thecleaner, but is resiliently mounted thereon by the rubber rings 45 and65, the motor and its rigidly attached parts will be shifted as a unitwhenever the motor is vibrated.

I claim:

1. A suction cleaner comprising a motor, a fan chamber having afanmounted on said motor, means for resiliently supporting said motor topermit vibration of the same, a labyrinth plate having a portion rigidlymounted on said resiliently supported motor and its unsupported portionspaced from said fan to prevent foreign material from enteringtherebetween, said labyrinth plate and fan vibrating in unison with saidmotor upon vibration of the latteron said resilient means to therebymaintain said clearance between said fan and labyrinth platesubstantially constant.

2. A suction cleaner comprising a motor, bearing means for said motor,means for resiliently supporting said bearing means to permit vibrationof said motor, a fan chamber having a fan rigidly on said motor, alabyrinth plate having its inner periphery rigidly attached to saidresiliently mounted bearing means for movement therewith, said labyrinthplate having its outer periphery unsupported and spaced from said fan toprevent foreign material from entering therebetween, said labyrinthplate, bearing means and fan moving in unison with said motor uponvibration of the latter on said resilient means to thereby maintain saidclearance between said fan and labyrinth plate substantially constant.

chamber, a fan in said chamber and mounted on said motor, spaced bearingmeans rigidly at tached to said motor and supporting the motor 3. Asuction cleaner comprising a motor, a ian armature shaft, a labyrinthplate having its inner periphery rigidly attached to one of said spacedbearing means and its outer periphery unsupported, means for resilientlysupporting saidspaced bearing means, said motor, spaced bearing means,fan and labyrinth plate moving as a unit in said resilient means uponvibration of said motor.

4. A suction cleaner comprising a motor, a frame for Said motor, a motorarmature shaft bearing rigidly attached to said motor frame, means forsupporting said motor frame, resilient means interposed between saidmotor frame and supporting means for resiliently supporting said motorto permit vibration of the latter with respect to said supporting means,a fan mounted on said motor, and a labyrinth plate rigidly attached tosaid bearing and having an unsupported portion spaced from said fan,whereby said motor frame, bearing, labyrinth plate and fan vibrate inunison to maintain a constant clearance between seid fan and labyrinthplate.

5. In a suction cleaner having a casing, a motor in a frame mounted onthe casing and operating a fan, the combination of a bearing attached tothe frame for the motor, a labyrinth plate having its inner peripheryrigidly attached to said bearing and its outer periphery unsupported andspaced from said fan to prevent accumulation of foreign mattertherebetween, and resilient means interposed between said motor frameand casing for resiliently supporting said motor frame on said casing,the motor, fan, bearing and labyrinth plate moving as a unit in saidresilient means with respect to said casing upon vibration of saidmotor.

6. In a suction cleaner having a casing, a motor in a frame mounted onthe casing and operating a ian, the combination of a bearing attached tothe trame for the motor, a labyrinth plate having its inner peripheryrigidly attached to said bearing and its outer periphery unsupported andspaced from said fan, resilient means interposed between said motorframe and casing for resiliently supporting said motor frame on saidcasing, means for subjecting said resilient means to shearing stressupon torsional vibration of said motor frame, said bearing and labyrinthplate moving as a unit with said motor frame upon torsional vibration ofsaid motor frame.

7. A motor-fan unit comprising a casing for said fan and supporting saidmotor, a bearing attached to said motor, a labyrinth plate having itsinner periphery rigidly attached to said bearing and its outer peripheryunsupported and spaced from said fan, and resilient means interposedbetween said casing and motor for resiliently supporting the latter withrespect to said casing, the motor, fan, bearing and labyrinth platemoving as a unit in said resilient means with respect to said casingupon vibration of said motor.

8. A suction cleaner comprising a motor. a fan chamber, a fan in saidchamber and mounted on said motor, a labyrinth plate between the back ofsaid ian and a wall of said fan chamber to prevent foreign material fromentering between said fan and labyrinth plate, said labyrinth platebeing unsupported at its outer portion, and resilient means between saidian chamber wall and said labyrinth plate toprevent foreign mateto closesaid opening in said wall to said fan rial from entering therebetween.chamber, and a labyrinth plate between said 9. A suction cleanercomprising a motor, a fan fan and said fan chamber wall and unsupportedchamber having an opening in a wall thereof at its outer portion toprevent foreign material through which the motor shaft extends into said6 yfrom entering between said fan and labyrinth chamber, a. i'an in saidchamber and mounted on plate. y said motor shaft, resilient means insaid open- FRANK L. PIERCE. ing for resiliently supporting said motorand also

